Over the years with son being sick a lot and then once he is sick it takes him twice as long to get well again I have found ways to make it easier. Some tips might seem like they cost more money but they really don't and they save you time and sanity when it comes to cleaning up.
So, I have already told you about the hospital bag and to always have it at the ready. If you are going to the hospital because you little one is vomiting (throwing up) you are probably thinking on the way please don't vomit. Lets face it, its a pain in the ass to clean-up after in the house if they don't make it to the bathroom, its twice as hard to get it out of all those small places in the car. For this reason we have a 1.5 qt dish pan just for vomiting. It works great if we have to go on long car rides (like to Children's Hospital) or just when we have to go to the ER for the vomiting. It also works great in the house. My son has it by him at all times when he doesn't feel good at home. We have all had to clean-up beds after our kids wake-up from sleeping and just start vomiting. Especially, during naps when they are already sick. Having the bucket means that you are not going to have to scrub the car out after going to the Doctor or wash bedding all day because they didn't make it to the bathroom. Plus, you can keep your kid resting and just take the bucket and dump it and wash it out instead of making them walk when they are sick.
Another tips mostly saves your sanity when you have a sick one. We have all been there and not made it to the bathroom in time when we have diarrhea. And kids seem to make it even less, and more during the night when they are asleep. Well, my son has chronic constipation and is on a daily laxative so he tends to get diarrhea more than most. When he does get it he is not allowed to take anything for it. He gets embarrassed when we are at the store and we have to buy more. But he gladly wears them to keep his blankets and stuff from smelling like poop even after getting washed by hand right away and then soaking in soap water for 24 hours. I am talking about those night time underwear used mostly for night time potty training and for kids who still wet the bed after being potty trained. I myself was a bed wetter until I was 13. Trust me I wish they had these when I was a kid, I had alarms that I had to wear at night that were suppose to wake me up when I started to wet the bed, it didn't work it just made it easier for me to sleep through all most anything. We were using these on my son when he was still wetting the bed (he stopped at the age of 8 unless he has a large seizure) and we had some left over when I thought about using them for diarrhea. They work great for it! Since diarrhea is mostly liquid poop it leaks out of regular underwear and goes down the legs and on the outer clothes and then on every you are sitting on at the time leaving a HUGE mess to clean-up and a kid who is upset. With the night time underwear (there are several different brands) it keeps most of the mess in the underwear leaving less mess to clean. These work great for a couple reasons the big one the mess pretty much stays but. Plus, because they have pull-a-part sides you can just take them off like a diaper. Still keeping the mess inside so you can put into a bag to throw away. I know your thinks that they are expensive and with the economy the way it is you don't see this being worth the money, but it is. Your kids is going to school and you make them wear clean underwear everyday but lets say that your kid is going to a sleep over and underwear has to go what do you do when all they underwear they have is stained from diarrhea? Going out and buying new underwear can be just a pricey plus kids are meaner then when we were kids. That's the money side here is the sanity side. I don't know about you but having to scrub underwear is not one the the things I look forward too after my kid was potty trained. Not to mention the smell, I know that my son's has a habit of smelling like something died and that smell is hard to get rid of even out of the air. With the night time undies the smell and mess goes in a bag (we save the plastic store bags for this) and right out the dumpster.
Here is a tip to help clean-up your kid after you get the messy undies off. The shower!! I know what I shower in there too, that is so gross. Think about it thought. It works best if you have a shower head on a hose so you can move the spray around. If the head has several different water flows even better. I say this because when your kid's tush and other parts are covered with poop toilet paper is not going to do the job and those flush-able wipes you can use a whole package and still have a mess. I have my son get in the shower then we rip the sides apart on the undies and drop them in the bag. With the normal shower spray I hose him down and then after he is rinsed off he washes with soap. This way we get it all and he smells better unlike if you just try to wipe it up. We have done this millions of times when they were babies. It was just easier to give them a bath than stand there forever trying to make sure they were clean to avoid diaper rash, its the same thing just bigger. Now your thinking okay that makes sense but what about the germs left in the tub, we still have to shower in there and that is a gross thought. Bleach is your answer. Once the diarrhea has stopped or they are a sleep fill you tub half full with nothing but hot water. I help out the tub by boiling a large pot on the stove (which I start before I go to fill the tub) and then then just pour about a cup or cup and a half in the tub and just let it sit there for a few hours. Now, I do this once a week anyway, cause I'm just crazy like that, but just doing it after you clean off the your kid is more than enough to clean and kill the germs.
I also have kept a few sippy cups around to for different reasons. Mostly for my son's hand tremors, but they work great when he is sick too. When your kid is sick you want them to lay down and rest, but when they go to sit-up and drink that can be hard for them. And you don't want them to wear or choke on their juice or water so give it to them in a sippy cup. We all know that some sippy cups can be a bitch to clean but I have found some that are easy to clean and easy on the teeth. They have large silicon tops which makes cleaning easy and soft on my sons teeth when his hands shake really bad.
This last tip depends on your kid and age. I know that when it comes to taking medication either over-the-counter stuff or his prescriptions my son prefers pills. If your child is old enough to take over-the-counter medications but fights taking them, try to get them to take the pill version. This is just a preference to taste. We all dread getting the flu or cold and then having to take those liquid medicines to feel better why? BECAUSE THEY SMELL AND TASTE SO GROSS!! And then the taste never leaves your mouth and even drinking things after taste gross. Now, you and I both would spend a little but more to get the pill version rather than take the liquid, so why wouldn't your kid. Their stuff taste just as bad and leaves the same after taste. So, the next time you have to buy over-the-counter cold or allergy medicine for your kid think about getting the pill form if they fight you on taking the liquid or would rather suffer than take anything.
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